A Dragon's Grief
by fukaimoriMidori
Summary: Bah Sing Seh has fallen, and everything is burning. Yet Iroh isn't making any move to lay waste to the city.


**A Dragon's Grief**

**Number of words: 603**

**Summary: Bah Sing Seh has fallen, and everything is burning. Yet Iroh isn't making any move to lay waste to the city.**

**Author's comments: Below, because anything would be a spoiler. **

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><p>All around, everything is burning, burning, burning, leaving nothing but ash and the charred remains of bone, backdropped against a flaming red sky. The moon is a swollen bloated thing, stained red from the deaths it has seen tonight.<p>

Iroh makes his way through the scorched streets of Bah Sing Seh - all the result of his men, his people - and it is like he is seeing, _really_ seeing for the first time.

He doesn't know how he had never seen it before.

For the first time, they aren't casualties, the unfortunate fools who stood in the way of a greater cause. They are individuals; every one of them with hopes and dreams and fears and duties, now burnt beyond recognition. Not so long ago, these bones were fathers, mothers, daughters and sons –

His breath catches in his throat, and he thinks of Lu Ten. His boy, dead because he is kind and good enough to see what is right and wrong. His son, killed because he shielded a little Earth Kingdom girl who was in danger of being crushed by a wild boulder.

He is so, so proud of his son, but he would do anything to have his boy again.

"General Iroh!" a young man - so young, he is Lu Ten's age - runs over. His badges show that he is a Captain. Someone this young shouldn't have this kind of responsibility, but he has the rank because all the older men are dead and gone.

"The Inner wall is in sight sir," the young captain reports. "General, shall we enter and lay the place to waste?"

Iroh studies the young man and sees himself; his old self, full of passion and righteous belief in his actions.

He also sees Lu Ten; the blank promise of youth, when life was is full of endless possibilities. Tomorrow, this boy could be dead and rotting, and would have known nothing about love and family, would never know what it is like to be a husband and a father.

He feels bone-tired, older than he has ever felt before. Even though he is more than twice this young man's age he has no wife or son. The War has seen to that.

"Captain," he says, quiet and soft.

"General Iroh?" the man says, confused. "Your orders, sir?"

"Do you have a family, Captain Shang?" Iroh asks.

The boy is confused, but he answers anyway. "My mother and father sir. My pay takes care of my parents."

"No sisters? Brothers? A young lady waiting for you?"

"I'm an only child sir. And... Yes. I have promised to marry her after we win this war." His cheeks flush pink.

Iroh is silent, thinking. Finally he turns to the Captain. "These are my orders."

The young man perks up visibly. "Yessir."

"Tell everyone to pack up and go home."

It takes a moment for the Captain to work his mouth. "What?"

"You heard me, Captain. Tell everyone to go home. Take care of your parents. Go marry your young lady."

"But sir, Bah Sing Seh - "

"These are my orders, Captain. Do not make me repeat them."

"Yes... General Iroh."

The captain scurries off, and Iroh has to be content with this; that he has saved the lives of his soldiers (_or__what__is__left__of__them_ a snide voice reminds him) and the people of Bah Sing Seh. He only wishes this is enough to pay for all the pain and suffering he has caused. He wishes Lu Ten was here.

Under the full moon, the Dragon of the West howls in grief.

_**End.**_

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><p><strong>My take on Iroh's turmoil after Lu Ten's death. <strong>

**There's a major plothole in the Avatar universe, in my opinion. I can't see a bloodthirsty Iroh when he'd been gifted by the dragons, when he's a member of the White Lotus, and has studied other nations extensively. He's even gone into the spirit world! Why the hell would he allow his crazy younger brother be Fire Lord? Okay, assuming he didn't gain deep insight on the world and didn't join the order of the White Lotus until after Lu Ten died, he definitely went after the last dragons as a young man, no? **


End file.
